Ian Smith

Berwick constituency Labour Party members held a protest on Saturday against the roll-out of Universal Credit (UC) in north Northumberland.

The Labour group says there is clear evidence of the harm and distress UC causes to claimants, highlighting that UN special investigator Philip Alston recently reported that it ‘was fast falling into universal discredit’.

A spokesman for the Berwick group said: “We wholeheartedly agree with Philip Alston’s call for the end of the five-week delay in receiving benefits, and of harsh and arbitrary benefits sanctions. There is significant evidence already in the public sphere that Universal Credit disproportionately disadvantages women and disabled people, leaving families in debt, rent arrears and at risk of becoming homeless.

“Labour is committed to supporting claimants instead of punishing vulnerable members of our society.”